Secrets
by Hattie1997
Summary: I have a secret. One that will change the World as I know it, change how other people view me, and change how I view myself. But I cannot tell them because my life is in danger from more than one enemy. There is a trip to Malta scheduled for the sixth and seventh years in order for us to get more insight into the muggle world. However, when staying there my secret comes out.
1. A Secret Revealed

**In case there is any confusion; the first part of this chapter is set in Malta, a small country near Italy. Please read and review.**

**A secret revealed**

It was night time. The streetlamps threw their flickering glare over everything and the rain that fell in soft bursts pattered on the road below. The clouds were low in the sky, a great expanse of grey and black, and the lights from the windows only barely penetrated it.

At the end of the long street, surrounded on all sides by a massive moat in which all manners of creatures lay, was the Palace. Turrets rose magnificently into the sky, looking menacing and cruel. Lights were on in many of the windows, blinking innocently in the darkness, and at one window stood a small, pixie-like woman, staring into the night outside with a contemplative look on her face. Her hands rubbed absentmindedly at her swollen stomach as a solitary tear trekked down her face.

"Lissa," a quiet voice said from behind her and she turned to see her husband, the King of their tiny country, Malta, staring at her in concern. "You should try and get some sleep."

"I cannot," Lissa replied nervously, her eyes shutting briefly as more tears joined the first, "We are at war, George, how are we supposed to protect her."

George III, his countenance giving nothing away, approached his terrified wife, a look of protection on his face as she continued to speak.

"I mean, David and Michael will be okay, they are older, but our child, our unborn baby girl, will be born into a world where her life will be in danger. What if they decided that the best way to get us to concede is to kidnap her?"

"We will protect her."

"What if we cannot," she snapped back, sobbing uncontrollably, "What if we are too late?"

Her husband opened his mouth once more but she shook her head and he closed it again with a small sigh.

"We have to give her away. I have spoken to Marguerite, my maidservant, and she has agreed to smuggle her into England and into the protection of her sister, Helena Granger. She will be safe there and once the war is over we can collect her."

"Okay," George agreed quietly although his heart war breaking. He would only get to hold his child once before she would be ripped from him, most likely forever. They were losing the war, most of their men were dead, and they couldn't stay protected forever. He didn't tell his wife that, however, as it would just scare her. Instead, he nodded once and turned to leave her room.

He was stopped by a terrified cry from his wife. Fearing that she was giving birth, he rushed to her side, but what he saw was so much worse. _They_ had gotten past the moat and were storming the castle. By _them _he meant, of course, the Spanish, who had been fighting with them for the past few months.

"Go to Marguerite," he ordered, trying to remain calm, "Get out of the castle and go to England. Now."

With one last, terrified, look at her husband, she quickly left, promising to return one day. At the moment, however, she had to find her maidservant and get to the safety of England.

"Marguerite," she screamed and in her horror, her voice slipped into the English accent she used to have. Even though she was married to the King of Malta, Alissa was English but all of her family had died years ago. George's father, King George II, had taken her in and five years later she became Queen Alissa I.

"Yes Madam," Marguerite said, nodding quickly, "What is it?"

"They have attacked; we need to get to England."

With another small nod, Marguerite grabbed her mistress's hand and pulled her unceremoniously towards the dungeons of the castle. Usually being dragged in such a way would have caused the Queen to shout at her, but in the circumstances she didn't care.

They could hear the screams coming from somewhere above them and they hurried faster, glancing up every once in a while. After ten minutes of walking they entered a tunnel with water dripping onto their heads. Slime coated the walls. They were under the moat.

Another couple of minutes and they were out, running into the fog and leaving the horrors behind them. Marguerite led her Queen onto a tiny ferry that had been waiting specifically for something like this and the two of them sat down in silence, thinking of all they'd left behind.

"Do you think they will survive?" Lissa asked after about half an hour. Even though she was only a lowly servant, Marguerite knew that she owed her Queen the truth.

"I am not sure, Madam, but I know that they will do the best. I believe that the Castle will be lost but that your husband and two sons will have to go into hiding."

In some ways, Marguerite had a sixth sense – or so Lissa believed. She could tell when something was going to happen and could also do little things like stopping a flower from wilting and such like things.

In truth, Marguerite was a Witch. Her mother had been a well-known Seer and she had inherited the trait while her sister, Helena, was, to all extent and purposes, a Squib. Instead of hiding her away, their parents had kept her and nourished her while Marguerite went to Hogwarts. It had been foretold that a female child of Alissa Wildon and George Clement would have magic and that was why she had become Lissa's maidservant. Of course, the Queen was unaware of this, but Marguerite knew that she would have to tell her soon as the unborn child was a girl and most likely the one spoken of.

"I just hope I can go back one day," Lissa whispered, unaware of what her maidservant was thinking. Marguerite just made a noncommittal noise and returned her eyes to the horizon as the place they were heading for appeared.

"We must get changed, Madam, as we do not want the English to know who we are."

Lissa nodded silently before another thought came to her, "And you must call me by my given name, as I do you."

"Of course Mad…Lissa."

Five minutes later the boat came to a halt and the two women were ready. With a small sigh and a wistful look behind them, they exited the ship and vanished into the crowd.

Unbeknownst to them, an Englishman was watching them. He knew who they were but he would have to bide his time before he could tell them. All he knew was that he would need to protect them at all costs. The two women knew who they were, they had met him in Rome – his hometown – once, but he had lived in England for a long time with his wife, Stella, and his son, Blaise. Yes, he was Antoine Zabini.

Lissa and Marguerite were blissfully unaware of this as they took a taxi to London and Marguerite knocked on her sister's door.

It was opened by a tall woman who looked remarkably like Marguerite, and she admitted them into her small home. Before they could go very far, however, Lissa let out a piercing shriek and double over, panting. The other two women were instantly by her side, asking her what was wrong.

She raised scared eyes to the two Grangers as she replied, "My water just broke."

**XxX**

Hermione:

Eleven years later, unaware of what had happened on that fateful day, I opened my eyes on the twentieth of August to a terrified scream from downstairs. Galloping down the stairs as I dragged a brush through my unruly hair, she saw my mother, Lissa Granger, and my Aunts, Marguerite and Helena Granger, standing around an owl, all staring at it in shock.

"It's true," Marguerite breathed though none of us knew what she was talking about. She turned to the newest arrival, "Open it Mione."

With trembling fingers, I opened the envelope that was attached to the owl's leg.

_Dear Miss Granger,_

_We are delighted to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Your Aunt, Marguerite, will explain what all of this means and if you choose to accept, send us an owl back._

_A list of things you will need for school are attached. We look forward to seeing you on the first of September._

"Why would you know?" Lissa asked Marguerite, who just passed a hand over her eyes with a sigh.

"We should all sit down."

Once we had done, she began her tale.

"Our mother was a powerful Seer by the name of Yastan and she foretold a prophecy that an extremely powerful female child of Alissa Wildon and George Clement would be born. When I turned eleven I was accepted into Hogwarts and seven years later I graduated the top of my class. Helena was two years younger than me but she hadn't ever received her letter. A child born from two magical parents who have no magical powers themselves are called a Squib and Lena was one of them.

Mother asked me to go and work for Lissa in order for me to be around when the child was born but complications arose when, just before the child was born, Malta - that was your mothers country - went to war with Spain. The Royal family were driven out of Malta but it is unsure where King George and his two sons, David and Michael, went."

She paused and Lissa began to speak to me, telling her story.

"I was seventeen when my parents were murdered in cold blood by people who called themselves Death Eaters. I had no idea who they were at the time but that is a story for another time. Anyway, King George II of Malta was a good friend to my father so he took me in and five years later I married his son, Prince George III. It was that year that George II died and my husband took the throne, meaning that I was Queen Alissa I.

Eleven years ago, on the nineteenth of September, we were driven out of the castle by the Spanish troops. I am unsure what exactly happened to George, Michael and David but I hope they are alive. Marguerite and I ran from the castle and took a boat to England, where we met up with Marguerite's sister, Helena. We have been living with her for the past eleven years but there hasn't been a right time to tell you. I am sorry."

"Wait," I snapped, glancing between them, "Let me get this straight. I am a Princess, which is at the moment under Spanish occupation, and I am not actually related to Aunt Lena and Aunt Margy. Oh, and I also happen to be a Witch."

"Yes," Mother said quietly but my next words obviously shocked her. Hell, they even shocked me.

"Brilliant."

I had expected to feel disappointment and betrayal, but instead I only felt excitement.

"Are you going to go?" Mum asked, indicating the letter that was crumpled up in my palm. I looked at it for a while before nodding.

"Why not?"

"I'll take you to Diagon Alley next week so that you can get your things," Marguerite said, grinning widely. "Oh, and you also can't tell anyone what we have told you today. Everyone believes Queen Alissa and her unborn daughter, Hermione, to be dead. If they suddenly turned up very much alive…well, you can see how much that would work out."

"Of course," I replied, "So what's Diagon Alley."

For the next two hours, Marguerite told me about her world and even took out a battered copy of Hogwart's: A History for me to read.

**XxX**

Only a fifteen minute drive from the Granger household:

"Antoine, what is the meaning of this?" Stella Zabini snarled, raising a letter into the air and glowering at her husband while their son, Blaise, watched on.

Antoine took the letter from his furious wife and read the words written on it.

_Antoine, _

_I know that we have had our disagreements in the past, but I need you to do something for me. I need you to look after my wife and daughter and make sure they live._

_Please, I am begging you._

_Me, David and Michael are still in Malta but we are in hiding and I hope to one day see my wife again and meet my daughter. Most people believe that they are dead but I know better._

_I say please once again, Antoine, I will be forever in your debt._

_George Clement III_

"Ah, that," he muttered while their eleven-year-old son also read it.

"Most believe George, Michael, David and Alissa are dead, not to mention their daughter whom nobody knows the name of."

"I have done as George asked," Antoine replied quietly, "And their daughter is called Hermione. Hermione Granger. And she will be in Blaise's year at Hogwarts. I need you to make sure that she is okay. Can you do that, Blaise?"

"Of course, Father."

With one last nod at his family, Antoine turned and left the room, a small smile playing across the corners of his lips. Soon he would see George and Lissa put back on the throne and fifteen-year-old David, thirteen-year-old Michael and eleven-year-old Hermione would be safe once more. He would risk his life for that family, as they had done the same to him twelve years previously.

**There you go, that's the end of the chapter. Please read and review. Tell me if you liked it. Tell me if you hated it. And tell me yours thoughts.**

**I would love to know how you think George and Lissa saved Antoine's life.**


	2. Five Years Later

**BigTimeGleekBTR – Thanks for reviewing and I hope you like this chapter; although if I'm honest I found it a bit boring and very tedious to write. Please read and review.**

**Arianna21 – I actually dreamt this idea – as obsessive as that sounds – but I wasn't sure how to put it into a fanfic without making too much up. Like you I'm a passionate history lover and plan to take it as one of my A-levels and maybe even do a degree in it. I definitely agree with you about not using France in this fanfic and I actually plan to re-write some parts of chapter one to make it more believable, so please go back and read it or this chapter will not make sense. Thank you so much for your review, it was really helpful. Antoine Zabini definitely had problems in Italy, meaning that he had to run from there and escape the Wizarding world for a while until it all calmed down. That would be why he was in the 'muggle' world but his son, Blaise, was brought up in the Wizarding world. I definitely understand your reservations so I hope you like my revised chapter one. Thanks for reviewing and please tell me if you have any more problems. I hope you like this chapter. I have decided to use the country Malta – which is near Italy – even though it became independent from the UK in 1964. It is close to Italy, which would explain how Zabini came to be there and not many people will have heard of it. I have re-written the first chapter. Could you please read it and if you have any more queries or problems, please review. Thank you.**

**Candid Serenity – I love Blaise and I was thinking: which pairing do you prefer – Harry/Ginny or Blaise/Ginny. I'm really not sure which to put. Please go back and read the first chapter again as I have changed it. Thanks.**

**READ THE AUTHORS NOTE; IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT:**

**Please go back and read chapter 1 because I have changed some things so it will be different. Thanks.**

**Five years later**

Hermione:

_Dear diary,_

_It has been five years since I had found out that I am actually the Princess of Malta but still my friends don't know. Mum doesn't wish for me to tell them but I don't think I can keep it a secret much longer. Please help me._

I sighed as I shut my diary and locked it with a handy spell. Once that was done, I rose and made my way out of the dormitory I shared with Lavender and Parvati.

"Hey Hermione," my excitable best girl-friend, Ginny, squealed when I finally made an appearance in the common room. Harry and Ron both gave me warm smiles before we all made our way down to the Great Hall.

We all ate in silence but as we made to rise, Dumbledore's voice washed over us. "Would all fifth and sixth years please stay behind for a moment?"

Exchanging confused glances, we did as bid and as soon as the door had closed behind the younger years, many of whom had clearly wanted to stay behind; our headmaster began speaking once more.

"Your two years have been chosen to go on a school trip to Malta – a small country near Italy – to see how they live. We will be staying in Paris but the exact place has yet to be determined. We leave in the morning, any questions?"

Many hands were raised, including mine – to no-one's surprise. I heard Malfoy mutter something that sounded suspiciously like _know-it-all, _but I ignored him and asked my question.

"Why our years and not anyone else – like the seventh years?"

"Good question Miss Granger," Professor Dumbledore said, giving me a small grin that caused me to blush with pride. "We cannot use the seventh years because they are doing their NEWTs and will need the library here. The fifth years – although they are doing their OWLs – can use their textbooks and we will rent a room in which they can practice."

I nodded, satisfied with that answer, but I was sure that there was something else going on that they weren't telling us.

Dumbledore answered other people's questions but I paid no attention and soon we were dismissed.

"Miss Granger," Professor McGonagall said sharply as I made to follow my friends, "We need a word."

I followed the three Professors – Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape – up to Dumbledore's office and sat stiffly on the chair in front of them, wondering what was wrong. After a few moments the door was opened once more and Blaise Zabini came in along with two people I supposed were his parents. My mum, Marguerite and Helena came in following them.

"Okay," I breathed, "Does anyone want to explain what's going on? And what are you doing here, Zabini?"

"I told you she didn't like me," Blaise Zabini murmured to his parents, both of whom shushed him.

"Blaise here," mum began, indicating the dark-skinned Italian, "Has been watched you for the past five years, keeping you out of harms way. He did it on the orders of my husband, your father, George Clement III. We were unsure where they are hiding but we believe them to still be in Malta, hiding from the Spanish ruler, Alberto. We need you two to find him."

"Also," Antoine Zabini murmured, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye, "You will be staying at the Palace at Malta but you must tell no-one of your heritage if you wish to keep your life. They believe you to be dead, My Princess."

It was weird to hear anyone call me a Princess and, from the way she recoiled, Professor McGonagall hadn't be told.

"Princess," she breathed in surprise, "But…you…Princess Hermione."

"Please don't call me that," I whispered, frowning, "It sounds weird."

"But it is what you are. Once Alberto has been defeated, you will once again be Princess of Malta," Dumbledore told me, his blue eyes twinkling merrily. "Also, there is more bad news I'm afraid."

"What is it now?" Blaise muttered, causing me to smother a giggle behind my hand. Either the adults didn't notice or they just decided to ignore it. Either way, Dumbledore continued, undeterred. "We have gathered from our sources that Alberto is working directly with Voldemort, even though he is a muggle. This means that you will have to be extra careful when you go. I wish you the best of luck."

With small nods, Blaise and I left the office and began to make our slow way back to the Great Hall, where we would part ways – me to Gryffindor tower and him to the Dungeons.

"Remember: don't tell anyone," my companion murmured in my ear.

"Let me get one thing straight," I snapped furiously, "All those times you were with Malfoy, calling me a mudblood, you were actually watching out for me?"

"I never actually called you a mudblood," he pointed out, wincing slightly at the hateful word, "But if I suddenly stood up for you it would be suspicious."

"I understand," I murmured, watching with amusement as he sagged with relief.

"What? You're not the smartest with of the age for nothing. I wouldn't fancy being on the receiving end of one of your hexes."

I laughed. "You're _such _a Slytherin."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, sounding so much like Cat from Victorious – a muggle TV show I used to watch when I was young.

"Cowardly, spineless, weak…take your pick."

"Ooh," he fumed jokingly, "You're in for it Gryffindor."

I laughed gleefully as he chased me away from the office and, at least for the time being, we were not enemies, I was not a Gryffindor and he was not a Slytherin, I was not a muggleborn and he was not a pureblood. We were just two sixteen-year-olds who only had each other to rely on because no-one else knew our secret. I had the type of fun I could never have with Harry and Ron because we were always running for our lives. It was a kind of freedom I had never before experienced, and it was refreshing.

As I was thinking all of this, a strong arm yanked me back and I flew into my companion's safe embrace. Unfortunately, my momentum was so much that I soared into him and knocked us both into a heap on the floor.

"Ow," I moaned, pulling myself up and giving him a hand.

"My sentiments exactly."

While he was dusting himself off, I leaned against the wall and rubbed my head absently.

"Everything okay?" he asked as we began to move once more.

"Hmm?" I replied, turning to face him as he gave me a look that was a mixture of concern and amusement. "Oh yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking about how weird all of this is. An hour ago I hated you. Next you're going to tell me that Malfoy is actually a teenage version of Santa."

"Well…" he implied, trailing off, and I laughed. "He definitely has the hair for it."

**XxX**

Draco:

"They've been gone for over an hour," Pansy complained as we waited in the shadows for Blaise and Granger to get back from their meeting with Professor Dumbledore. As soon as the two of them had been called up, we had known that something was wrong. I mean, they _hated _each other so what was going on?

While the rest of our house went down to the dungeons, the two of us laid in wait.

"…Next you're going to tell me that Malfoy is actually a teenage version of Santa."

That was Granger's voice and she was talking to…Blaise? I nearly gasped in surprise but held it in as the two continued to talk, unaware that they were being watched.

"He definitely has the hair for it," Blaise laughed and with a jolt I realised that they were talking about me. I did not have hair like Santa's…did I?

"He doesn't know, does he?" she asked, suddenly sounding scared. Know what? I wanted to yell, but contented myself with just listening, hoping that I could catch something from their words.

"Of course not. As much as he pretends he doesn't mind him, my father hates Draco's and they have nothing in common. After all, my father is not – and never will be – a Death Eater."

"You're not going to tell anyone, are you?"

"Of course not," Blaise snapped with a Slytherin-worthy sneer, "I've kept your secret for five years already, I'm not about to break it now. The same to you."

"I know," Granger whispered, "It just seemed so messed up, doesn't it?"

Then, to my utter surprise, Blaise pulled the smaller Gryffindor into his embrace and rested his chin on her head. That wasn't even the worst part. Then Granger relaxed into the hug, allowing _my _best friend – a best friend who had been keeping a secret from me for five years – to comfort her in her hour of need. Where were Potty and the Weasel…unless she had been keeping it from them as well? What was so bad that she couldn't tell anyone except Blaise, and possibly a few of the teachers?

"I should go to bed," she murmured eventually, pulling back and, with a small grin, she was gone. With a tiny laugh, Blaise walked into the dungeons, and right past mine and Pansy's hiding place.

I had just decided that I wasn't going to confront Blaise on his and Granger's unlikely friendship but Pansy jumped out and whirled our fellow Slytherin around.

"What the hell was that?"

I seemed that she had no such reservations.

Blaise chuckled nervously, running his hands through his hair as he replied, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You and Granger…she has a secret. What is it?"

"Then it wouldn't be a secret," Blaise snapped back, "And it's none of your business so just leave it."

With those final words, my best friend turned his back on us and stormed all the way to the portrait hole, where he stalked through the common room and went straight to bed, refusing to talk to me or Theodore – Theo – Nott, our roommate.

**That's the end of the chapter, tell me if you liked it or hated it. Please read and review. Thanks.**


	3. The Start of the Journey

**Emocookieloverz – Thanks for the review, I hope you like this chapter. Please read and review.**

**Kar-Kar93 – Thanks for reviewing. I hope you like this chapter.**

**BigTimeGleekBTR – Thank you for reviewing. Please continue to do so.**

**The Start of the Journey**

Hermione:

I left Blaise in the Entrance Hall so that he could make his solitary way down to the Dungeons and I could make my way to Gryffindor Tower. I sincerely hoped that no one had noticed that I had been missing for a couple of hours, but that was obviously a naïve thought. They were my friends; of course they were going to realize that I had been missing. Sometimes they – especially Harry and Ron though sometimes the other Gryffindor boys as well – were too overprotective for their own good. It was suffocating.

I came upon the portrait of the Fat Lady, who gave me a sympathetic smile as I spoke the password and entered into the mess of a common room. Lavender and Parvati were sitting by the fire, both biting furiously on their lips as they whispered to each other. Ginny was sitting opposite them, frowning into the fire as Dean tried to engage her in conversation. Harry was pacing while Ron and Neville tried to get him to stop, reassuring him of something. The rest of the Gryffindor's were all staring at them, looking utterly concerned.

"She'll be fine, Harry," little Dennis Creevy piped up from where he was sitting on the floor with some of his friends. "Hermione can look after herself."

"But she's been missing for two hours," Harry cried back, turning to look at him, "And we have no idea where she is."

I felt slightly guilty that I had been thinking bad things about them as they were clearly worried about me. I briefly considered pretending to be coming down from the Gryffindor girls' dorm to see what the noise was, but dismissed that notion almost immediately. Lavender and Parvati would know that I wasn't up there and the other would most likely hear me if I tried to go up there. The best thing to do would be to tell them the truth.

"Hey guys."

Every eye turned to face me, looks of utmost relief on every face as Harry raced the length of the common room and hugged me sharply before pulling back, pouting adorably.

"Where were you?"

"I was talking to Professor Dumbledore."

"And you didn't think to tell us?" Ron asked, looking disbelieving, as he, too, stood and made his way over to me.

"I'm sorry, guys. I guess I just didn't think that you would be worried."

"We thought you'd been taken by Death Eaters or something," Harry whispered brokenly, hugging me once more as Neville spoke up from his seat.

"No, only Harry thought that. The rest of us knew you'd show those Death Eaters what it was like to mess with Hermione Granger."

"Of course," I laughed, flicking my hair over my shoulder as I took Harry's recently vacated seat, leaving my messy-haired friend to sit on the floor, his back leaning against the chair I was sitting on.

"Never do that again, okay, Mione?" was the last thing I heard Harry say as I fell asleep.

**XxX**

Draco:

I woke up next morning, blinking sleep from my eyes as I saw a figure leaning over me. I was still half-asleep so it took me a little while to tell who it was, but once I did, I jerked up in bed, glowering at my dark-skinned roommate.

"I can't tell you what Hermione's secret is…" he began as soon as he knew that I was listening. I turned to see if Theo was in the room, but he wasn't, so I turned my attention to Blaise once more.

"You're not seeing her, are you?"

He gave me such an incredulous look that I shook my head at my own foolishness. "Okay, stupid question."

"I can't tell you what her secret is, but I must make you _promise _that you won't try and get it from her."

"I promise," I said, wondering what could be so bad that my own best friend could not tell me, but I knew that it must be important so I made the promise without complaint.

Most people believed that Slytherins had no friends; that they were, to all extents and purposes, lonely, but that wasn't the case. Not at all. We may have been a quiet bunch but we stuck by our own and when we made friends, we made friends for life. It was just the way of things.

"Have you packed yet?" Blaise asked, breaking into my thoughts.

I shook my head in response and waved my wand, which had previously been residing at my bedside, so that my clothes packed themselves neatly into my trunk.

"Let's go."

The two of us quickly got changed into Muggle clothes, who knew if we were going to a magical community, before placing our cloaks over the top, we were still purebloods, after all. Once we were ready we made our way down to the Great Hall, being joined by Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy, Millicent Bulstrode and Daphne Greengrass.

Granger, Potter and Weasley were entering the hall just as we were. They paused and, as I glanced up, I saw that Granger was staring at Blaise, asking him something with her eyes. When she turned to look at me, I gave her a knowing smirk and she lowered her head and hurried past, obviously unsettled.

"Drake," Blaise hissed, shooting me a glare. He had obviously seen that little moment I'd had with the petite Gryffindor.

I just rolled my eyes and didn't deign to reply, moving past him and the rest of the Slytherins into the Hall. It was relatively early so none of the younger or seventh years were up and everyone had trunks lying by their feet.

"Eat up," Dumbledore yelled from his position at the front of the room, "We need to leave in exactly a hour."

I ignored him and only picked at me food. I wasn't hungry and was instead thinking about a letter my father had sent me a couple of days earlier. As it so happened, I had known about this little trip for longer than everyone else.

_My son,_

_I believe that in a couple of days you will be going on a trip to Malta, a province off the coast of Italy. Fifteen years ago, when the Spanish took over the castle at Malta the Queen and her unborn daughter escaped to England. Recently, Our Lord has received notice that the daughter is currently in your year at Hogwarts. This trip will provide the perfect opportunity to find out who it is. Also, it is believed that her father and two brothers, one of whom is two years older than her and one of whom is four years older than her, are in hiding in the country. You have to find out where they are hiding. Be careful, my son, and I will give you your new orders once you have found out who this girl is._

_Your Father_

I didn't want to become one of the Dark Lords minions, although many people already believed I was, but if I didn't he would kill the two people I actually cared about, my Mother and Father. Many believed, especially after that stunt he pulled in the Department of Mysteries in fifth year, that Father wanted to be a Death Eater but the truth was the opposite. He only did it to keep my Mother and me safe. I thought he wanted to escape from _his _clutches by becoming part of the Order of the Phoenix. He would probably send me a letter soon detailing what I would do in order to break the Dark Lords wishes. It would probably have something to do with protecting the Princess.

I glanced around at everyone in my year. It was hard to believe that one of them was a Princess. I glanced at Granger, who was in deep conversation with Potty and the Weasley. Maybe that was what Blaise was hiding. No, it couldn't be. Granger was the furthest from a Princess I knew.

"Drake, come on, man," Blaise murmured to me as everyone began to stand and I followed them, thinking hard. No matter what happened, I would find out who she was. I had to, or she was as good as dead.

**XxX**

Hermione:

I glanced over at Malfoy as we sat in the Great Hall, feeling unsettled. When he had smirked at me it was like he knew something that I didn't. The only thing I was hiding was that I was a Princess, but he couldn't know that, could he?

"Mione…"

I followed Harry, who'd spoken, out of the room and out onto the grounds, where a bunch of Thestral-drawn carriages were ready to take us to Malta. I was slightly nervous that we would be flying but knew I wasn't nearly as nervous as other people, who couldn't even see the Thestrals.

With a deep, long-suffering sigh I made my way onto one of the carriages, Harry, Ron, Ginny and Neville following me up while Parvati, Seamus, Lavender, Dean and Colin Creevy took the one next to us. Malfoy and his cronies took the two opposite us and, as I glanced at them, two people looked up at me.

One of them had a kind look on their face, a half-smile tugging at their lips. The other, however, was regarding me with cold, grey eyes, a smirk tugged onto his face.

It was unsettling to say the least.

I needed to find out what it was that Malfoy knew about me, or if he was just doing it to make me nervous.

As the Thestrals began to move, I tuned into the conversation around me and joined in as much as I could while trying to put the image of Malfoy's eyes out of my head.

It was a fruitless task.


End file.
